Family of Fallen Philadelphia Firefighter Files Wrongful Death Case

Posted on Thursday, January 5th, 2017 at 7:46 pm

A collection of thirty manufacturers are being served with a lawsuit following the tragic death of Philadelphia firefighter, Lt. Joyce Craig. Craig’s family believes that the safety equipment that Craig was wearing at the time of her death was defective and failed to protect her in the line of duty. They are seeking $50,000 in damages from each of the defendants, who include Tyco, Fisher Scientific, and Goodyear.

On December 9, 2014, Craig was responding to a call when she became trapped in the basement of a West Oak Lane home and later suffocated. She was wearing protective gear such as a self-contained breathing apparatus, an emergency location device, and thermal protective clothing, which her family claims would have saved her life had the equipment worked properly.

Her two children recently filed the $1.5 million lawsuit that alleges negligence, wrongful death, and product liability against the manufacturers. According to the lawsuit, there was no air in the tank of her breathing apparatus and her emergency location device failed to notify responders of her whereabouts. The attorney of Craig’s estate alleges the tragedy was “foreseeable,” given the faulty maintenance, design, and manufacture of the safety equipment.